


in the dark

by peachypop



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Earth C (Homestuck), Established Relationship, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-30 02:58:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15087506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachypop/pseuds/peachypop
Summary: late-night worries and tender words.





	in the dark

**Author's Note:**

> 2018 is the year of homestuck i guess
> 
> shoutout to my best friend julia for cheering me on even tho she doesn't go here xoxo

Jake can deal with the scars. On himself. 

On Roxy, on Jane.

But Dirk. 

All the things he’s done, what he’s had to do— what he thinks he had to do.

Jake eyes the soft scar circling Dirk’s neck, washed out and paler than the rest of him.

Dirk cracks an eye open, bright as sunrise.

They’re tangled together under the covers, moonlight spilling in and painting them in soft color from the window Dirk likes to keep open to let the jungle drift in. He sleeps better here, he slept before this, but not much. Not nearly enough.

“Jake,” he says, voice sleep heavy still. “Staring.”

Jake reaches up to settle a hand on Dirk’s cheekbone, thumb stroking under his eye leaving fire in its wake. Fingers tangled in the fine hairs on his neck. He knows Dirk doesn’t mind the staring, not really. 

“Sorry, chum,” Jake replies, soft as the breeze from the window. “It’s just that—“

Jake untangles his fingers from Dirk’s hair and gently slides his hand to Dirk’s throat, thumb tracing the soft puckered skin there. It’s less angry now, which Jake is glad for. Seeing him on the victory platform had been hard, he wanted to crush Dirk in a hug—or kiss him. He had done neither, too scared to fuck up everything further than it already was. Even more terrified to make Dirk talk, his neck red and inflamed. 

“Oh.” Dirk breathes. 

The waterfall cascades into the pond, creating ripples in time with Dirk’s pulse. Jake isn’t sure why he even brought this up, why he’s even upset. it’s been years. A long time since either of them have been in any real danger; they spend their days building and sparring. Learning each other in ways they never got the chance for when they first met. Rushing straight into each other and fumbling.

Dirk reaches up and rests his warm palm on top of Jake’s, intertwining their fingers. Dirk’s gentle as he brings Jake’s palm to his chapped lips. Jake can feel his face heat up, never quite used to the delicate shows of affection from him, now. 

Dirk used to be loud, always so loud. Jake was used to Hal’s robo-flirting but it was pale in comparison to the real thing. He never knew how to handle either of them, so Jake hid.

He hid for a long time. Not anymore.

“I’m here, I’m alive, with you.” Dirk starts against his palm, lips dragging and breath warm. “I would know if my own fucking head weren’t firmly attached to my body. Means I wouldn’t have to deal with what’s inside it all day.”

They lock eyes for a moment, Jake shifting closer as Dirk presses a chaste kiss to his palm before releasing it and letting Jake haphazardly throw limbs around him, like a dragon protecting their hoard of riches.

“I happen to be pretty fond of your head, you know, very mysterious,” he says against Dirk’s chest. “And handsome.”

“That makes one of us,” Dirk replies, placing another kiss on the crown of Jake’s head. “The fond part, I mean. Not the handsome part, you are the handsome pa—”

Jake giggles. An honest-to-god giggle. Dirk has always known how calm the weariness in his heart, how to soothe the aches in his bones. Even if he didn’t think he could. 

Jake loves him so much in moments like these, so much that it hurts, like a volcano erupting in his heart. Coating it in familiar warmth.

“We’re both handsome here, eh?” Jake teases, closing his eyes and breathing out a sigh of contentment. 

“Go back to sleep before I kick your ass.” Dirk replies. “We can, uh, talk in the morning? If you want?” He tacts on hesitantly. 

“I know that’s just a ploy to get _near_ my ass, Strider.”

Dirk barks out a laugh, pulling blankets over them further and ruffling his hair in one smooth motion. 

“I’d very much like that,” Jake says into the comforting darkness. “Goodnight, Dirk.”

“‘Night.”

Dirk’s fingers tracing circles on his back slow to a crawl, they drift off to the chirping of cicadas, in a state of peaceful happiness.


End file.
